A bone anchor may be used to attach soft tissue to bone and, more specifically, to secure connective tissue, such as ligaments or tendons, to bone. For example, a suture may be passed through the connective tissue and attached to the bone anchor, which is then placed within a borehole or cavity in the bone proximate to the connective tissue. This provides a site for the sutured connective tissue to be drawn towards.
A practitioner may utilize an applicator, which is attached to the bone anchor (e.g., by grasping a retention member coupled to the bone anchor), to properly position the bone anchor in the bone. The practitioner detaches the applicator from the bone anchor when the bone anchor is properly positioned. Detaching the applicator from the bone anchor may be through the application of an axial force to the bone anchor, causing the bone anchor to shear or fracture from the feature grasped by the applicator. In some cases, the bone anchor is fabricated from a polymer, such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), and thus may be damaged by forces generated during its separation from the feature grasped by the applicator.